At Twilight

by Maggie Shayne

  ” “Shh.”

  “Make me forget, Eric. I know you can.”

  She spoke with her face pressed into the crook of his neck.

  Her hands moved over the back of his head, and she turned her face

  up.

  She saw the passion in his black eyes.

  “I need you tonight, Eric.”

  His lips met hers lightly, trembling at the fleeting contact.

  They lifted away.

  His gaze delved into her eyes, and she saw the fire’s glow reflected in

  his.

  He moaned her name very softly, before his mouth covered hers again.

  She tilted her head back, parted her lips to his voracious invasion.

  His tongue swept within her, as it had done before, as if he would

  devour her if he were able.

  It twined around her tongue, and drew it into his mouth to suckle it.

  She responded by tasting as much of his mouth as he had of hers, as her

  eager fingers untied the small black ribbon at his nape.

  She sifted his shining jet hair, pulled a handful around to rub its

  softness over her cheek.

  She tugged her lips from his to bury her face in his long hair and let

  its scent envelop her, drowning out the memory of the other.

  She turned then, to kiss his neck, and then a warm, wet path down it,

  to the V of his shirt.

  He trembled, his hands tangling in her hair.

  She brought her own down, to clumsily unbutton and shove aside the

  cotton that stood between them.

  She flattened her palms to his hard, hairless chest.

  She moved them over its broad expanse, her lips following the trail

  they blazed.

  She paused at a distended male nipple and flicked her tongue over it,

  nearly giddy with delight when he sucked his breath through clenched

  teeth.

  Her hands moved lower, over the pectorals that rippled beneath taut

  skin, to his tight, flat belly.

  Her fingertips touched the waistband of his trousers, and she slid them

  underneath.

  A moment later her hand closed around his hot, bulging | shaft.

  Eric’s head fell backward as if his neck muscles had!

  gone limp.

  He groaned at her touch and she squeezed him | and stroked him,

  encouraged by his response.

  His head | came level again, his eyes fairly blazing when they met j

  hers.

  He brought one hand around to the front of her and caught the corners

  of the towel she’d wrapped herself in.

  With a flick of his fingers the thick terry cloth fell to her S feet.

  His arms slipped around her waist and pulled her body ; to his, flesh

  to flesh.

  The sensation set her pulse racing.

  His j hard, muscled chest and tight, warm skin touching her soft

  breasts.

  His strong arms around her, his big hands moving over her bare back,

  crushing her to him.

  She clung to his shoulders, further aroused at the sinewy strength she

  found there.

  Attacking her mouth once again, Eric lowered her gently to the floor.

  She lay on her back, stretched before the fire, and he lay on his side

  beside her, one arm beneath her, pillowing her head for his plundering

  mouth.

  His other hand moved hotly over her body.

  He cupped and squeezed .

  her breasts, gently pinching her nipples until they throbbed against

  his fingers.

  He moved his hand lower, trailing fingertips over her belly, and then

  burying them in the nest of hair between her thighs.

  With a slowness that was torture he parted the soft folds there.

  She closed her eyes when he probed her, and felt the growing wetness he

  evoked from her.

  She wanted him.

  She parted her legs and arched toward his exploring fingers, to tell

  him so.

  She closed her eyes when he took his mouth from hers and lowered it to

  nurse at her breast.

  She felt him tremble when his teeth scraped over her nipple, and she

  pressed his head to her with one hand and fumbled for the fastenings of

  his trousers with the other.

  He helped her push them down, and then he kicked free of them, lying

  naked as she was.

  She opened her eyes to look at him in the firelight.

  She thought him the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.

  Every inch of him was tight, hard, corded with muscle.

  His skin was smooth and taut, elastic and practically hairless.

  Her gaze moved down his body, up it again, and met his smoldering

  eyes.

  Are you certain?

  he seemed to ask, though he never said a word.

  In answer she fastened her mouth to his, pulling his body to her.

  He covered her gently.

  Instinctively she planted her feet, bent her knees and opened herself

  to him.

  Slowly he filled her, and she caught her breath at the feeling.

  This was more than sex, she thought dimly, as he pushed gently

  deeper.

  This was a completion of some cosmic cycle.

  He belonged here with her, and she with him.

  This was right.

  He withdrew, so careful not to hurt her, and began to slide inward

  again.

  She gripped his firm buttocks and jerked him into her.

  The fullness forced the breath from her lungs, but she arched to meet

  his next powerful thrust.

  His pace quickened, and Tamara knew nothing for a time, except for the

  sensations of her body.

  His mouth moved over her throat, her jaw, her breasts.

  He suckled and licked and bit at her, setting her blood to boiling.

  His hands had moved beneath her to cup her buttocks and lift her to

  him.

  They kneaded her, caressed her and rocked her to his rhythm.

  His rigid shaft stroked to her deepest recesses, no longer hesitant,

  but hard and fast.

  She felt a tension twist within her.

  His movements inside her drew it tighter, and she trembled with the

  force of it.

  Tighter, and he caused it.

  He sensed her body’s responses and he played upon them, adjusting his

  movements to draw out the exquisite torture.

  She bucked beneath him, seeking a release that hovered just beyond her

  reach, and she felt a similar need in him.

  He moved within her more quickly now, his breaths coming short and

  fast.

  His mouth opened, hot and wet against her throat, and she felt her skin

  being drawn into it.

  She felt the skim of his incisors and the answering thrum :‘g of her

  pulse.

  She knew a craving she’d never known before, and she arched her throat

  to him just as she arched her hips i to meet his.

  She screamed aloud with her mindless need, .

  gripped the back of his head and pressed him harder to her neck.

  The tension drew tighter, so tight she thought she’d soon | explode

  with it.

  He withdrew slowly, and she whimpered | her plea.

  “Please… now, Eric… do it now!”

  He drove into I her, withdrew and drove again, the force of his thrusts

  be| yond control, it seemed.

  He plunged so violently it would | have lifted her body from the floor

  if he hadn’t held her immobile, forcing her to take al
l of him, with

  all the | strength he could muster.

  And she wouldn’t have drawn 3 away if she’d been able.

  She wanted this.

  and more.

  An- ] other rending thrust and she felt herself reach the precipice.

  He let her linger there, drawing it out until her cries were like those

  of a wounded animal.

  His teeth closed on her throat.

  She felt the incisors pricking at her skin and she clutched him

  closer.

  They punctured her throat as he plunged into her again, driving her

  over the edge.

  The pain was ecstasy in the throes of the climax that rocked her.

  She convulsed around him, and then harder as she felt him sucking at

  her throat.

  Her body milked his, and she trembled all over, violently, with spasms

  of pleasure she hadn’t known could exist.

  He bucked inside her, and she knew he’d reached the peak, as well.

  She felt his hot seed spill into her as her own climax went on and

  on.

  His mouth open wide at her throat, his tongue moving greedily to taste

  her, he shook with the force of his own release.

  He groaned, long and low, and then collapsed on top of her with one

  last, full body shudder.

  He carefully withdrew his teeth.

  He started to move off her, but she quickly wrapped her arms around

  him.

  His head was pillowed on her breasts, and she held him there.

  “Don’t move yet,” she whispered.

  “Just hold me.”

  He pulled free despite her words, and rolled to the floor beside her.

  He sat up, gazing down at her, his eyes glistening, mirroring the

  fire.

  His fingers touched her throat, and he squeezed his eyes closed.

  “God, what have I done?”

  His words were no more than a choked whisper.

  “What kind of monster am I that I would allow myself” — “Don’t say

  that!”

  She started to sit up, but his hands came fast to her shoulders.

  “No, you mustn’t move. Lie still. Rest.”

  He moved one hand through her hair, over and over again.

  “I’m so sorry.

  So very sorry, Tamara.

  ” She frowned, shaking her head.

  “You didn’t hurt me, Eric. My God, it was incredible” — “I drank from

  you!”

  “I know what you did. What I don’t know is why you act like you’ve

  stabbed me through the heart. I’ve lost more blood than that when I

  cut myself shaving!”

  She made her voice more gentle when the pain didn’t leave his eyes.

  She reached up and stroked his face with her palm.

  “Eric,” she whispered.

  “What ill effects will there be? Will I become a vampire now?”

  “No, that requires mingling of—” “Will I be sick?”

  “No. Perhaps a bit dizzy when you get up, but it will pass.”

  “Then why are you so remorseful?”

  She sat up slowly, angled her head and pressed her lips to his.

  “I loved what you did to me, Eric. I wanted it as badly as you did.”

  “You couldn’t” — “I did. I feel what you feel, don’t forget. I

  understand now why you held back before. It’s a part of the passion

  for you, isn’t it?

  It’s another kind of climax.”

  His eyes searched hers, as if in awe.

  “You see, I do understand. I felt it too.”

  He shook his head.

  “It didn’t repulse you?”

  “Repulse me? Eric, I love you.”

  She blinked and realized what she’d just said, then looked him in the

  eyes.

  “I love you.”

  CHAPTER TEN we in the morning.

  She lay staring up at the white underside of her canopy, wishing to God

  she could close her eyes.

  Eric had insisted on bringing her home after she’d blurted that she

  loved him.

  He had seemed shocked speechless for a few moments.

  Then he was awkward, as if he didn’t quite know what to say to her.

  She was confused.

  What did he want from her, a physical relationship without emotions?

  But there already had been emotions between them, deep, soul-stirring

  emotions she was only beginning to understand.

  And she’d thought he loved her.

  He’d implied it.

  He’d said he had love for her.

  Was that the same thing?

  She turned restlessly onto her side and punched her pillow.

  Again she glanced at the cognac on the bedside stand.

  He’d insisted she take it with her, since she’d remarked on how

  wonderful it was.

  No wonder, she thought now.

  The stuff was bottled in 1910.

  It was probably worth a fortune.

  And here she was swilling another glassful in hopes of using it as a

  sleep aid.

  If she didn’t get some sleep soon she was going to collapse at work, in

  front of everyone, and then what would Daniel do?

  Probably check her into a rest home.

  She wandered into the bathroom, still wide awake a half hour later.

  What was she going to do about Eric?

  Daniel would die if he knew the truth.

  She loved the old coot.

  She would hate to hurt him.

  God, her mind was spinning with too much tonight.

  She opened the medicine cabinet and rummaged until she found the brown

  plastic prescription bottle.

  She’d tried the damned sleeping pills before.

  Single doses, double doses, even once a triple dose.

  She hadn’t even worked up a good yawn.

  She twisted the cap and poured four tiny white capsule-shaped pills

  into the palm of her hand.

  She popped them into her mouth with a cynical glance at her

  reflection.

  Who was she kidding?

  She wouldn’t close her eyes until dawn.

  A glass of water rinsed the caplets down.

  She wandered back to bed, realized she still held the worthless bottle

  of tranquilizers in her fist and dropped it carelessly on the stand.

  “Kill him for this.”

  Daniel?

  Was that Daniel’s voice tickling the fringes of her consciousness?

  He sounded angry, and strained.

  “I tried to tell you.”

  Curds’s voice was louder, more level.

  “She should have been under constant surveillance.

  If we’d followed her, we’d have had the bastard.

  ” “If your tranquilizer works. It hasn’t been tested, Curtis.

  You can’t be certain it will immobilize him.

  ” “And how the hell do you suggest we test it? Send out a notice

  asking for volunteers? Look, I’ve done everything I can think of. All

  signs are, it will work. There’s nothing left to do but try it.”

  Try what?

  On whom?

  And why were they both so angry?

  “He raped her, Curtis.”

  Daniel’s voice warbled on the words.

  “It wasn’t enough to take her blood, he had to have her body, as well.

  The son of a bitch raped her… left bruises on her skin. My God, no

  wonder she couldn’t bear to face us in the morning.”

  “I never thought Tam my would be the kind to try this way out. Pills

  and brandy!”

  Cult’s voice sounded h
arsh on her ears.

  “Why the hell didn’t she tell us and let us handle it?”

  Raped?

  Tamara remembered the pig on the highway ramp.

  his hands on her, his filthy breath on her face.

  But he hadn’t raped her.

  Eric came and—Eric—my God, they thought Eric had put these bruises on

  her body.

  She struggled to open her eyes.

  Her lips moved but no sound came from them.

  She had to tell them!

  “She’s coming around.”

  Daniel’s presence lingered closer.

  She forced her heavy lids to open.

  Nothing focused and the attempt left her dizzy, with a sharp pain in

  her head.

  She felt his hands on her forehead, but it seemed her forehead was not

  attached to her.

  Everything seemed distorted.

  “Tamara? It’s all right, sweetheart. Curtis and I are with you now.

  Marquand can’t hurt you now.”

  Frantically she tossed her head back and forth on the pillows.

  Pillows that were too plump and stiff, with cases too starched and

  white.

  Not her own pillows.

  “No… Eric.

  not.

  him.

  ” Damn, why couldn’t she make her mouth form a coherent sentence?

  “Eric,” Curtis mocked.

  “I told you she remembered.

  It’s all been an act.

  I wouldn’t be surprised if she went to him willingly, Daniel.

  We always knew he’d come for her, didn’t we?

  And I always said she’d never be one of us.

  You brought her right inside DPI.

  For Christ’s sake, I wonder how many secrets she’s passed already?

  ” “She wouldn’t betray us to him. Curt,” Daniel said, but his voice

  was laced with doubt.

  “Then why did she mix those pills with the booze? It’s guilt, I’m

  telling you! She sold us out and couldn’t face it.”

  “What could she possibly have told him? She doesn’t know anything

  about the research!”

  “That we know of,” Curtis added, his words meaningful.

  “He would like nothing better than to murder the both of us, Daniel.

  We’re the leaders in vampire research.

  He gets rid of us, he sets the entire field back twenty years or

  more.

  ” “You think I don’t know that?”

  She struggled against the darkness she felt reaching out to her, but

  it was a worthless fight.

  She whispered his name once more before she sank into the warm abyss.

  The voices of the men she loved grew dimmer.

  “He’ll come to her … just like before.”

  “We’ll be ready. Get the tranquilizer and meet me back here.”